By NANCY ARMOUR, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published 10:00 pm, Friday, September 15, 2006

There's a lot to consider when planning the entertainment for an NFL game: keeping the mascot in line, making sure the fake smoke doesn't choke anybody, finding the right D to go with the fence.

And now, criminal records.

Yes, that's right. NFL fans around the country might notice something missing this season. "Rock and Roll, Part II," the anthem that's as much a part of American sports as trash talking and jerseys, has been silenced.

"We're not looking to play the role of Simon Cowell," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. "We simply advised our clubs not to play it in light of current events."

For those not up on their '70s glam rockers, Gary Glitter's life has taken a decidedly unseemly turn since he gave us "Rock and Roll, Part II," also known as the "Hey" song. He's currently serving three years in prison in Vietnam after being convicted in March of child molestation. A 1999 conviction on possession of child pornography in Britain got him two months in jail there.

So no, not exactly the ideal guy to be leading the band when fans are cheering and high-fiving each other. Especially considering the NFL is still smarting from its last brouhaha with a singer.

Still, if the league ever wonders why some people think NFL stands for the "No Fun League," this is a good example. What Glitter did was reprehensible, no doubt about it. No one ever should think of inviting him to perform at a game, and it's probably best to stay away from that song when picking theme music for commercials.

But few fans know Glitter co-wrote and performed "Rock and Roll, Part II." Most don't even know that's the actual name. It isn't until you say the "Hey" song or sing, "Dah dah dah dah dah dah, HEY!" that the lightbulb goes on.

"A lot of people wrote in and said, 'We don't approve of (Gary Glitter) or what he did, but that's not what we're thinking about at the game,'" said Tammy Fruits, vice president of sales and marketing for Kansas City, where the song has become synonymous with the Chiefs.

Used by the old Colorado Rockies (the NHL version) back in the late 1970s, the "Hey" song quickly spread to other sports. A staple at college basketball and NBA games, some cheerleaders even bring "Hey" signs to thrust in the air at the appropriate time. You know, in case that one word in the song isn't clear.

And it wasn't a true NFL game without at least one chorus of it. The Denver Broncos have played it after touchdowns for a good 20 years now. Chiefs fans, a notoriously rowdy bunch, got creative and came up with their own lyrics to taunt opponents.

But after Glitter was convicted last spring, the NFL asked teams to please not play his song. Since the league can't play DJ at the individual stadiums, its edict was more like a really strong suggestion.

Still, teams have gone along with it. And gone to exhausting lengths to do so.

The New England Patriots asked their fans to pick a new anthem, putting it to a vote on the team Web site. The verdict? The "1812 Overture" and U2's "Elevation."

The Chiefs tried a fan vote, too, only to get dozens of angry e-mails. Though fans said they'd take "Boom" by P.O.D., they really wanted their old song back. So the Chiefs unearthed a cover version of "Rock and Roll, Part II," by the Tube Tops, and got the NFL's OK to play that. Never mind that the two versions sound almost exactly alike.

If all that seems to be much ado about nothing, well, it is. Except to the NFL.

"We're held to higher standards, which we gladly accept," McCarthy said. "We have such a diverse audience in the stadium and our television audience, and we have to keep that in mind with everything we do."

Yet they're not taking issue with those scantily clad cheerleaders on the sidelines.

The intent behind muzzling Glitter is admirable. But in doing so, the NFL only has brought him more attention. If the league really wants to take a stand, make a really large donation to a victims' group or create a public-service announcement and ask teams to air it.